Chinese hip-hop performers seek a voice that reflects their lives
Voice of America
FILE - Chinese rapper Shixin Wenyue performs at a concert in Chengdu in southwestern China's Sichuan province, March 16, 2024. FILE - Chinese rapper Boss X performs at a concert in Chengdu in southwestern China's Sichuan province, March 16, 2024. FILE - Chinese rapper Boss X performs at a concert in Chengdu in southwestern China's Sichuan province, March 16, 2024.
In 2018, the censors who oversee Chinese media issued a directive to the nation's entertainment industry: Don't feature artists with tattoos and those who represent hip-hop or any other subculture. Right after that, a well-known rapper, GAI, missed a gig on a popular singing competition despite a successful first appearance. Speculation went wild: Fans worried that this was the end for hip-hop in China. Some media labeled it a ban.
A visitor walks along on a beach equipped with anti-landing barricades, with the Chinese city of Xiamen seen in the background, in the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, in Kinmen on May 17, 2024. Tourists pose for photos as they visit a scenic spot on Pingtan island, the closest point in China to Taiwan’s main island, in Fujian province on May 18, 2024.